Apparition
by katkriss
Summary: Olivia has always been married to her work. Will there ever be someone to compete? Join in the crime/suspense! Note: This is my first story ever, so reviews are welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

******/Olivia Benson's apartment: 4:25am/**

_It was a foggy haze she'd been running through, surrounded in a mass of clouds and faces that seemed never-ending. Olivia cried out to follow the sound of her voice, but nothing came. The face of a little girl with bright red hair and green eyes danced in her head, bringing a sense of anxiety and urgency. It was Olivia's job to find her! God only knows what was happening to her. As each second passed, Olivia could feel her panic state of mind starting to rise, to the point that there was a ringing in her ears. The ringing became more intense each second that she pushed through the bodies that seemed to fight against her. She was losing her! Where the hell was Elliot? Hands reached for her radio, but it was gone...along with her badge and gun. What the hell? Brown eyes searched frantically on her person for her belongings when a shadowy figure stepped in front of her to gain her attention. The little girl she had been searching for struggled against the arms of the larger figure holding her with a large knife to her throat. _

_"Help me, Olivia," the little girl cried, but she was frozen in place. The dark evil eyes staring back at her were her own. Olivia stood there, staring as a figure of herself, ready to take this young girl's life. Just as the realization sunk in, the blade moved swiftly from one side to the next, leaving blood and a lifeless little girl to fall at Olivia's feet. In the ominous boom of her body to the floor, Olivia started to lower herself to catch her when that same blade entered her chest, her dark eyes meeting her match's, differing only in the expression her evil self portrayed. There was a sinister amusement in the eyes that stared at her and they both knew that, as strong as Olivia was, she was powerless to save her or herself. The world began to spin as the dying process took over Olivia's body. Was this what dying was like? Death was a painless flash of light all in slow motion...with loud ringing. What was that...?_

Olivia woke with a jolt, hand immediately to her chest as she quickly sat up in that empty bed. Her heart raced while she attempted to catch her breath, as though she'd been running a marathon. This wasn't the first time that this nightmare haunted her, so she wasn't surprised by the graphic horror that her mind created. Hell, she'd seen worse on the job. The job! _Ring, ring, ring..._well, that explained the ringing, didn't it? Rolling over with a soft groan, clumsy fingers snatched that phone up and brought it to her ear.

"Benson," she mumbled into the phone, not bothering to sound professional. Why should she? At this hour, most could assume she'd been asleep. Despite her rebelliousness at the late-night caller, she already knew who was on the other end. Olivia didn't have to look at the caller ID. There was only person who called at 4:27 in the morning with sirens sounding in the background before she could even speak her name.

"Liv, meet me over on the corner of Amsterdam and West 145th. We've got a crime scene." Elliot's voice seemed less than amused. Why was it that crimes were always discovered in the middle of the night? Didn't people have sleep to catch up on? Olivia never minded the interruption, though. She never slept well anyway and would much prefer working a case to a failed attempt at sleeping. At least when she was working, she had a solid excuse for her insomnia. Before Elliot had the opportunity to finish those two sentences, she was out of the bed and looking for clothes to throw on. Let's see...which of her outfits looked best with her infamous black leather jacket? Should she choose the black pants and gray button-down, or the black pants and purple button-down? Hmm. Decisions, decisions.

"Be there in ten," she spoke in a groggy voice, though she was wide awake. Nobody else needed to know about her difficulties. Not even Elliot, who would understand entirely, needed to know just how bad her nightmares were becoming. The last thing she needed was to have this get into the hands of Huang, who seemed to be rather eager to psychoanalyze the brooding detective. No, thank you! Purple shirt pulled on and tucked in, badge clipped beside her duty weapon, radio on the other side, Olivia was out of her apartment without a second glance at the kitchen. Who needed breakfast? Not this girl. There was work to do, and nightmares to forget about.

**/Crime Scene #1: 5:03am/**

"I wouldn't..." Dr. Melinda Warner spoke out, but it was too late.

"What have we got?" Elliot's voice interrupted, clearly tired; this was the last thing he wanted to be doing, especially when things with Kathy were going so well lately. The sight of the small white sheet covering an even smaller body only guaranteed that both Elliot and Olivia wouldn't want to work this case. Any case when children were victims left a bad taste in the SVU's mouth. Unfortunately, Munch and Tutuola took the last case, so the dreaded responsibility of this one fell on the shoulders of Stabler and Benson. Crouching down by the sheet, Olivia lifted it just a few inches to see the damage underneath.

"Oh my god," Olivia couldn't hold back her commentary. It was all she could do not to drop the sheet and run in the opposite direction. The only thing that kept her from doing so was Elliot lowering down beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder, his other gloved hand taking the sheet from her grasp. Perhaps it was the color draining from her face or the expression of horror that clued him in to take the reins on this case for the moment. Whatever gave it away, Elliot took control quickly to allow Olivia the time to collect herself.

"Tried to tell you. It's not a pretty sight, Detectives." The only response from the two was the small whistle from Elliot's lips. Melinda continued when neither of them contributed anything substantial to the conversation.

"Name's Erin McCaffe. Twelve years old. Perp did quite a number on her. There's some bruising around the vaginal and anal region that was there prior to rigor setting in. I'd say your perp raped her multiple times before severing her carotid artery. Time of death, I'd estimate maybe around midnight. Maybe a little earlier than that..." Melinda snapped those gloves off and shook her head. No matter how many you see or how desensitized one can get, it was still tragic.

"That son-of-a-bitch," Elliot muttered under his breath. That girl couldn't have been much younger than his own kids. He always did have a weakness when it came to handling child cases. It always hit close to home. Typically, Olivia handled the children cases much better. She didn't have any kids which gave her enough logical reasoning to not tear the bastards apart when they stared smugly back at you in the interrogation room. Where Elliot always lost his cool, Olivia could remain level-headed and manipulate the situation to play in her favor. This time, however, things for Detective Benson were a little different. Instead of going through the notions to gather evidence, Olivia stood there, staring at the white sheet, haunted by the face underneath it.

Innocent eyes remained open and gripped the core of Olivia's soul when Elliot's cell phone rang, the loud ringing snapping her out of her trance and back into reality. Her eyes lifted to Elliot's face while he took in the new information. There was nothing to love about the expression on his face when the phone call ended.

"Liv, we gotta go. Call just came in. Eyewitness just showed up at the precinct. Said he was the one who called 911, but got scared and bailed," Elliot snapped that phone shut and headed toward the car, stopping when he caught the distant look that crawled over Olivia's expression.

"Hey. You okay?" he asked, athletic body remaining between the car and its open driver side door. The cold fear in her eyes was pushed aside and she gave him a glimpse of her typical half-assed smile, nodding while those hands slipped into the pockets of her coat.

"Yeah, I'm fine, El. Just caught me off guard. Didn't get my coffee this morning, you know? Wasn't it your turn to bring that?" she teased, relief washing over her the moment she saw his defenses lower while they got into the car. He didn't need to know how those dead, green eyes and bright red hair struck terror in the base of her heart. It wasn't his place to be privy to the information that was meant for her and her alone: Erin McCaffe was the little red-headed victim from her nightmare. How was this even possible?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**/SVU Precinct: Friday afternoon, 2:40pm/**

"I didn't see who did it. All I know is, I was walking down the alley and I tripped over something. Looked down and there she was. Didn't know what to do so I just called 911..." the younger kid shifted in the chair beside Olivia's desk. As delinquent as he might have looked, there was a terror in his eyes that dissipated any belief that he was Erin's killer. Nevertheless, Olivia remained leaning against the corner of her desk with her arms folded against her chest.

"Where were you coming from, Mr...?" she asked, dark eyes shifting from the kid to Elliot, then back. Elliot sat across from where she stood, jotting down any information that they may receive from their witness.

"Stewart. James Stewart. I was coming back from the movies."

"James. Do you have anybody who can confirm this?" Olivia hated asking since he called the police, but one could never be too careful nowadays. Luckily, he seemed to be pretty cooperative which made her hopeful that he'd have an alibi to get him out of here quickly.

"Yeah. My girlfriend. I've got the movie tickets too," his hand immediately went into his pocket, retrieving the movie ticket stubs and tossing them onto the desk beside Olivia's body. Her eyes lowered to the tickets and then back over to Elliot, who nodded and spoke up for the first time in the past five minutes. About damn time. Olivia was getting tired of being the only one asking questions.

"All right, James. Thanks for your cooperation. We'll give you a call if we need anything else," Elliot chimed in, pushing himself up from the chair and prompting James to do the same. A couple handshakes later, James found himself walking out of the precinct hassle free. Glad as she was that James wasn't the suspect, she could feel her anxiety building each minute that went by with this unsolved case. With Erin's face haunting her, Olivia wasn't going to be able to do much until this freak had a needle in his arm. Anybody who was capable of hurting someone who was so innocent deserved to die slowly. Those green eyes were full of innocence that was apparent even after the light had been taken from them. It must have been so terrifying, suffering unimaginable pain and tribulations…

"Earth to Liv! Come in, Liv! You wanna get to the M.E.'s office to meet the parents or you plan on daydreaming all day?" Elliot's slightly raised voice was enough to pull her out of her thoughts and back into the precinct. Immediately, she pushed herself up off of the desk and straightened her form. Get it together, Liv, or Cragen will pull you off this case, she warned herself mentally before she nodded a little, reaching for her valuables to put in her pockets.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something. I'm good. Let's head out," she replied in a distracted mumble, hoping that Elliot wouldn't pursue the reasons behind her odd behavior with this case. Fortunately, another voice distracted Elliot before he could question it. Not that the familiar voice brought any relief to Olivia's demeanor. If anything, she only tensed up more at the sound of Alex's voice, mingling with the clicking of her heels that distinctly paced themselves to match Alex's quick and confident stride.

"Heading somewhere, detectives?" How could three words increase the speed of one's heartbeat? If Olivia could answer that question, she certainly wouldn't have to work for the rest of her life. For now, all she could hope was that any feelings regarding this case or on her present company would remain filed inside of her under "Confidential". Turning her head, she saw the bounce of blonde hair on the shoulders of the gorgeous Assistant District Attorney dressed in a stunning blue skirt suit. The entire vision brought her first genuine smile since 4:27 this morning.

"Morning to you too, Counselor. Caught a case early this morning. Elliot and I are going to meet the parents at the Medical Examiner's office. Should be back by this afternoon if you'd like for me to brief you on it when we return." Elliot had to smile a little to himself. Olivia always volunteered to "brief" Alex on cases, usually in her office...alone. Alex never seemed to mind it either. Would there ever come a time that these two saw what everybody else did? If only. Typically, Alex was all too willing to have Olivia in her office to discuss a case, but the bite of her bottom lip and shift of her gaze from Olivia to the floor was the first clue that this wasn't going to go as typically planned. Oh boy.

"That'd be great, as long as I'm out of the office no later than 7:30. I have a date later," Alex gave a sheepish smile and turned in the other direction to walk over to her office, leaving Olivia to stand there with her mouth open just a bit. Alex has a date? Olivia wasn't certain if the negative emotion rising in the pit of her stomach came from the case or Alex's love life actually being...active. Who was this mystery date? Were they as smart as her? Were they as attractive as her? _Let's not go there_, she thought to herself when she saw Elliot standing there with his eyebrows practically as high as his receding hairline. He read every emotion on her face and it irritated her to the core.

"Well. Good for her then. Let's go," she said as she reached for her coat hanging on the back of her chair. Elliot remained still, watching her with that cynical smile he had when he knew she was full of shit. Usually, it was endearing. Today, it was irritating every fiber of her being.

"Are you coming or what? I'm not interviewing the parents alone, partner. Grab your stuff and let's go!" she snapped, her voice irritable as she walked toward the exit.

**/Mr. and Mrs. McCaffe's Residence: Friday afternoon, 3:45pm/  
**

"You're here to question us about Erin?" Olivia could hear the annoyance in the mother's tone as they sat down in the living room of their very expensive house. Between the multi-million dollar home, Erin's mother's massive diamonds and her father's perfectly tailored Armani suit, it was apparent that Erin lived a charmed life. Based on the lack of emotion in her mother's voice, or on the fact that her father could barely look up from his cell phone, Olivia could tell that the only comforting part of Erin's life would have come from Daddy's wallet. It was sad to think that a little girl was so poorly mistreated and even her parents hardly mourned it. The thought alone caused Olivia's jaw to clench, looking over to Elliot and finding solace in his expression. Clearly, they shared the same disgust with the parents.

"Yes ma'am. We're just trying to figure out Erin's whereabouts when she was taken. Can you tell us what her schedule looked like after school?" Olivia forced a small smile on her face, looking back to the mother who let out a long sigh, as if their presence was the bane of her existence. Poor Erin.

"She should have been with her nanny, Heather. That lazy, sorry excuse of a woman. Called and told me that she was at the school for hours. She never saw Erin. Filed a missing child report with the school. I was so angry with her, I fired her on the spot," she answered, hand waving as though dismissing the woman from her memory.

"And do you know where Heather lives?" Elliot asked, pulling out his notebook to write down the address.

"9th and 23rd. I'll get you her address. Viola!" the mother shouted, standing up from the couch to find their housekeeper, the older woman who answered the door only a few minutes prior. Throughout this entire process, Erin's father never looked up from his phone. What a shame.

**/Heather Crestman's Residence: Friday afternoon, 5:00pm/**

Knock knock! This was the fourth time that Olivia and Elliot attempted to knock on Heather's door with no success. Were they going to catch a break on this case? The longer they went with no leads, the colder the case was going to get. That wasn't acceptable.

"We'll try again tomorrow. Check with the school in the morning and see if we can't locate Heather. I know we've gotta get back to the precinct and fill Alex in on everything. Ready?" Elliot reached up and let the back of his hand lightly hit against Olivia's shoulder while turning to head down the stairs from Heather's front door.

"You know what? The crime scene's not too far from here. I think I'm just going to head there for a little bit, see if I can't gather any extra clues. You can fill Alex in, right?" Olivia tried to sound lighthearted with it, but Elliot knew exactly why Olivia had no desire to head back to Alex's office. It had nothing to do with clues. They would have found it already. He knew that the thought of being cut off early so that Alex could leave to prepare for her date only made Olivia seethe with jealousy and irritation. Add that to the emotional instability she felt throughout this case, it was a recipe for disaster.

"It'd really help you to consider telling her how you feel sometime. It's not healthy to keep all of that inside of you." Elliot lingered a few minutes after his words, watching the emotions transition over Olivia's expression. He was, by no means, qualified to give love advice when his own marriage was rocky at best, but this was Olivia they were talking about. She was married to the job for too long and Alex was the first woman that ever caught her eye...who wasn't victimized or dead, that is. She deserved happiness, and Alex was one of the only people he'd ever met who would come close to deserving her. The silence lingered before he nodded and headed out the door.

"See you tomorrow." His three words dismissed the situation and gave Olivia the out she needed to get out of seeing Alex that afternoon. This gave Olivia the opportunity to check out the crime scene once more. Maybe there wouldn't be anything else to discover, but if there was, Olivia was determined to catch it.

**/SVU Precinct: Saturday morning, 1:35am/**

The precinct was especially quiet this time of night. Hardly anybody worked in the office late on a Friday night. Why would they? After a full week of non-stop work, Friday night was the night to relax and have a good time. If that was the case, why was Olivia sitting there at her desk? The simple answer: frustration. The complicated answer: Two pairs of eyes haunted her for two entirely different reasons. Green ones begging her for justice, blue ones that caused an ache in her heart. She stared at the paperwork scattered over her desk, but her thoughts were elsewhere. It was dark, with the exception of her desk lamp illuminating only a small perimeter around her area. At the moment, she was the only one in the office, pen tapping echoing throughout the silence. Munch wasn't there to lecture her on the negative effects pen tapping could do to one's mental health, so she tapped that pen without a second thought to it.

"Anybody ever tell you that pen tapping is a bad habit?" that voice trailed throughout the office and pulled Olivia out of her head. She immediately dropped the pen on the desk and lifted her gaze to the shadowed figure leaning against the door that led into the office. Her heart jumped into her throat the moment she heard the question, but it seemed to remain there when the figure came into view. Alex. What on earth was she doing here this late in the evening?

"...I thought you had a date..." that was the only thing that Olivia could think to say at the moment. The little red dress and black heels confirmed the date, but why would she be here?

"I did. Elliot's briefing ran later than anticipated, so Michael picked me up here," she answered. Oh, so the mystery date had a name. Michael. How sweet. Olivia could barely contain herself from rolling her eyes, but she managed to hide her jealous just a little bit by nodding and looking back to the paperwork.

"That's good for you. I'm glad you had a nice time," she lied, a hand reaching down to a piece of paper, as if returning to work was a good way to dismiss Alex and, more importantly, this conversation. Unfortunately, the attempt failed.

"Missed seeing you at the briefing today," Alex's tone was soft, mingling with the clicking of her heels on the concrete floor as she made her way over to Olivia's desk to lean against it. The mere action made Olivia want to push those papers onto the floor and...whoa, snap out of it, Liv.

"Yeah, well. I had to check out the crime scene again." Bullshit. There was nothing there, but Alex didn't need to know that right? She didn't need to know that Olivia was avoiding seeing her this afternoon. The look on Alex's face held enough doubt that she wondered if her excuse was believed or not. If it wasn't, Alex didn't say anything to disprove it. Instead, she just nodded a little and clasped her hands onto her lap. Damn, that dress looked great on her.

"Did you find anything?" she asked, blue eyes piercing Olivia's once more. Olivia didn't speak. She only shook her head and dropped her eyes to the papers once more, swallowing hard. Clearly, there was something, perhaps more than one thing, bothering Olivia at the moment. It didn't take a genius to pick up on that. There were so many times that Alex had seen Olivia put on an entirely different persona as though she were putting on her pants in the morning. She could manipulate and fool almost any suspect into giving up the information she needed to get the case done. Yet, she was so transparent at the same time. Alex could read Olivia like a pop-up book with the way her emotions displayed so easily on that gorgeous face of hers.

"Olivia, I can tell something is bothering you. Elliot noticed it as well. Something about this case is getting to you. What is it? I'm your...friend. Talk to me," it pained Alex to call her that. Sure, she had always felt an attraction toward Olivia. That's all it was...right? No matter what it is, it's not something she could pursue. It was too dangerous for her to go with those feelings, not knowing whether Olivia shared them or not. Furthermore, she'd never dated a woman. She didn't know the first thing about it. Until she'd met Olivia, there was never anyone, man or woman, who could unnerve her. She fought rapists, murderers and plenty of psychopaths on a daily basis in the middle of a heavily populated courtroom. There were fellow colleagues with experience and intelligence that put hers to shame. Every day, she dealt with people questioning her abilities and yet, it was only Detective Benson who made her doubt herself and her actions. It was the most terrifying feeling she'd ever experienced and there was only one thing she was certain of: She wasn't ready for it.

"It's nothing," Olivia started, but it was the look over the top of Alex's glasses that said she wasn't buying anything that Olivia was selling. Maybe it was because she was tired. Maybe it was because Alex was her weakness. Maybe she just needed to confide in somebody. With a loud sigh, Olivia conceded.

"You're going to think I'm crazy."

"It's possible. Tell me anyway." Alex gave a smile with her side order of sarcasm in the hopes to relax Olivia just a bit. It worked. With a small laugh, Olivia leaned forward and rested her elbows on the desk.

"The other night, I had a dream. Nightmare, really. I was searching for someone. A little girl. I was fighting through crowds of people looking for her when I saw her. She was being held hostage and I had to save her. I didn't and the killer cut her throat..." she swallowed, feeling the tears forming. "The killer was me. I cut that little girl's throat and killed her. She bled to death and it was my fault. Then I woke up and went to the crime scene...and..."

"...and it was the little girl in your dream," Alex finished, knowing exactly where this was going. She saw the pictures of the crime scene and of the victim. They were upsetting in their own right, but to have that dream coincide with reality, it would have messed up anybody. Olivia pushed herself out of the chair and stood up to walk away, but Alex reached out to grab her arm. The moment her fingers curled around Olivia's arm, she felt electricity shoot through her. She didn't want to let go, but forced herself to.

Olivia froze the moment she felt the hand on her arm, the touch burning an imprint of Alex's hand into her arm. They stood so close that she could smell the sweet perfume that Alex was wearing. It was intoxicating, the mixture of roses, amaranth wood, musk and laundry. It was a fragrance she only associated with Alex and yet, it felt like home. It was a sobering feeling to realize that sense of home was meant for somebody else. For some mystery man named Michael. Her jaw clenched and she stepped back from Alex and shook her head.

"I...have to go..." she said, pulling away from Alex's grip. The break of her touch caused the brightening of her world to dim back to normal once again which only frightened her more.

"Olivia, wait..."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Alex," she interrupted, grabbing her jacket off of the back of her chair. Olivia moved so quickly that Alex could barely get over the shock of what just happened before Olivia walked out of the precinct. Alex watched her leave with a sense of confusion. What caused Olivia to close up that quickly? The bigger question was: why did she all of a sudden feel alone?

Guess there would be two people who weren't sleeping that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**/Herman K. Alexander Private School, parking lot: Monday morning, 7:07am/**

"What the hell is she doing here?" If looks could have killed, Olivia would have Elliot six feet under and buried. The sight of Alex Cabot's car pulling into a nearby parking space ruined any chance she could have had to forget about everything that happened the prior night. Elliot, with a smile on his face, didn't seem the slightest bit concerned.

"I invited her to join us this morning. Thought we could use the help," he answered with that lighthearted tone. Olivia would have loved nothing more than to smack that smug grin off of his face. He knew what he was doing! Why would he do this to her? She didn't have to ask; Elliot was always vocal about his opinions on Olivia's feelings for Alex and, when given the chance' manipulated the situation to give her ample opportunity to follow his advice. Today just wasn't the day for this. It certainly wasn't the day for Alex to wear that pinstripe black skirt suit. That was Olivia's favorite...information only Olivia knew about.

"This is just great. I haven't even had my coffee this morning," Olivia grumbled as Alex made it to the steps of the school where they stood.

"Good morning, detectives. I hope you both got plenty of sleep. We're going to need it today," Alex said with a smile to both detectives, but her eyes were only on Olivia. She knew Olivia didn't sleep. Neither had she, but there was a purpose in saying that. Perhaps she just wanted to know that Olivia was as affected as she was. She may not get the confirmation she was looking for, but if she had turmoil going on over last night, it would be comforting to know that she was not alone in that discomfort.

"Like a baby," Olivia said with a smile. So she lied! Sue her. There was no way that she was giving Alex the benefit of knowing that a single touch to her arm could unravel her in the way that it truly had. The twitch of irritation in Alex's expression brought a victory cheer inside of Olivia, but she managed to control herself enough to keep that small win to herself. Instead, her attentions went to Elliot, who stood there watching the tension between the two women with a smirk tugging his lips upward. At least someone was entertained.

"Well, let's do this, shall we?" Olivia's tone was slightly impatient, but she forced a smile on her lips to dispel any suspicions of negative emotion. She wanted to focus on the case and not the complications of her love life...or lack thereof. _It's called being married to the job_, she thought to herself, justifying her reasons for not having any sort of relationship.

"After you, Detective Benson," Alex replied, hand gesturing for her to move forward. Olivia's arched eyebrow and slight frown at the formal name brought a smirk to Alex's lips. Olivia wasn't the only one winning a battle today. Nothing else was said outside of a small chuckle from Elliot, which quickly ended after receiving two sharp glances in his direction. He looked away from both of them, only to stop and lightly hit his fingers against Olivia's shoulders.

"Liv, stop. Look. Who does that look like?" he nodded toward the woman who waved to a little girl heading to the school. Olivia caught the face of the woman Elliot was referring to. The attractive woman folded her arms across her chest and watched the blond-haired girl head inside, unaware that Elliot, Olivia and Alex stood only a few feet away. That was Heather. She got another nanny job already? Rich housewives work fast, it seems. Olivia was the first to walk in her direction, parting her lips to speak when within earshot.

"Heather Crestman? NYPD SVU. I'm Detective Olivia Benson. This is my partner, Detective Elliot Stabler and Assistant District Attorney Alex Cabot. Can we ask you a few questions?" she called out, her gloved hand lifting that badge up as she walked up to her, Elliot and Alex on either side of her. Heather only smiled and looked over all three of them. Her eyes lingered on Alex for a moment before locking her attentions on Olivia.

"Sure. This is about Erin, right?" there was sadness in the woman's brown eyes that started to tear up a little, which caused her to look away. Olivia felt some sort of relief to know that there was somebody out there who mourned Erin's tragic death. With a sympathetic smile, Olivia's hand reached out to rest on her shoulder, guiding her to sit down on a nearby bench. The moment Heather sat down, the tears began flowing. Without hesitation, Olivia reached into her pocket to pull out a handkerchief and offered it to her. Heather took hold of the handkerchief with one hand to wipe her tears and the other rested on Olivia's knee. It was an intimate move, but women always felt comfortable around Olivia because she empathized with them. She wasn't a cold cop and victims needed that support. That's all.

"Thank you, Olivia," she said with a smile. Jealousy raged within Alex as she watched the woman put her hand on Olivia's knee. Where was the professionalism? That was absolutely inappropriate and she needed to find some other outlet for her emotions. Of course, Olivia was oblivious to it. Women hit on Olivia all the time and she never noticed it. How could she be so unobservant as a detective? Yet, here she was, placing her hand on top of Heather's while speaking so gently to her.

"Can you tell us what happened that day?" Olivia asked, sympathetic eyes locking on Heather while she cried.

"I was standing outside of the school with the other nannies waiting on her to come out with her friends. She never came out. Once all of the kids were gone, I went inside and asked the main office if they knew where Erin was. Their attendance records showed that she was in class all day. I filed a missing child report at the school and called the police, but they said I had to wait 24 hours before they would issue a missing persons report. I called the McCaffe's to tell them that Erin was missing. Elizabeth fired me for interrupting her tennis lesson," she dabbed at the tears on her cheek and pulled away with a sheepish laugh.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to just unload on you, Detective," she added. _Sure you did,_ Alex thought, but quickly chided herself. The woman just lost a child she was close to. This is not the time for her jealous and sarcastic inner monologue. Her arms folded across her chest and she kept her gaze on the woman who seemed to catch her glance for a moment. It was when their eyes met that her tears were gone...instantly.

"That's all I know. All of the paperwork is in the front office. I...have to go now. Feel free to call me if you need...anything." Heather stood up and smiled to Olivia, handing her a business card with her name and phone number on it. Olivia took the card and stood up to turn toward Elliot and Alex, pocketing the card to put in the file when she returned to the office.

"Well, she was certainly _cooperative_," Alex said with a sarcastic tone. Elliot stifled a small laugh and shook his head. Would they both just give in and let it happen already?

"Of course she is. She's the only person who gave a damn about that little girl. I'd like to find some justice on those parents who care more about tennis lessons than their own children." There was a growl in her voice as she turned on the ball of her foot and headed toward the school. She wanted to nail the bastard to the wall and find justice for Erin. Someone had to fight for her...it seems nobody ever had.

**/Herman K. Alexander Private School, headmaster's office: Monday morning, 7:45am/**

"Miss Crestman came in Thursday afternoon in a panic. Erin didn't show up outside after school. Our security guards looked everywhere in the school and never found her. It's such a shame. Erin was such a bright girl with an even brighter future." Headmaster Jacob Tulley reached into his desk and retrieved a manila folder, Erin McCaffe's name printed neatly at the top.

"Here's her school file. Straight A student. Some of her artwork was going to be showcased at the Museum of Fine Arts in Manhattan for her grade. Such a shame," he added, letting out a small sigh and shaking his head. Elliot shifted in one of the chairs, hands clasping together as he leaned forward just a bit, leaving Olivia to take the notes on their meeting.

"Mr. Tulley. Did Erin have any friends that might have seen her before she went missing?"

"Oh yes. Erin was very popular. She was such a kind girl. I would recommend talking to Allie Floyd. She was Erin's best friend. They had English together last period. Mr. Jennings' classroom is in 6B. You may want to speak to him as well. Erin's first class is Science in Ms. Hastings' classroom. 6F. I'll take you to her."

**/Sixth Grade Hall, Herman K. Alexander Private School: Monday morning, 8:12am/**

"Miss Hastings, would you mind if we borrowed Allie for a moment?" Olivia could hear Tulley speaking with Ms. Hastings, leaning against the wall out in the hallway, eyes scaling over the hallway. This was the last place that Erin was seen alive. Was she taken in the hallway? Did she sneak out and get caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing? So many unanswered questions. The opening of the door with Tulley and a brunette girl coming out interrupted her thoughts, looking to her with a smile.

"Hi Allie. I'm Olivia. These are my co-workers, Elliot and Alex. We just want to ask you a few questions about Erin. Is that all right?" Allie looked to Tulley who nodded with his approval.

"It's okay, Allie. Just tell them what you know." Allie swallowed hard and nodded, looking back to Olivia.

"Thanks, Allie. Were you good friends with Erin?"

"Yes."

"Was she in English with you on Thursday?"

"Yes."

"Do you two usually leave school together?"

"Yes." At this rate, they weren't going to get anywhere with finding Erin's killer. Allie was hiding something...Olivia just knew it.

"Did you two leave together on Thursday?" Allie shook her head.

"No. She had to go to the bathroom so we were supposed to meet outside. She never showed up." That answered Olivia's question. From the time she left English to the time she went to the bathroom, Erin went missing. Olivia's eyes looked to Elliot who was already on the same page.

"Okay. Thanks, All-" she was cut off by the look of concern that washed over Allie's face when she heard another set of footsteps walking toward them.

"I've gotta get back to class..." she whispered before rushing off into her classroom. Who was causing this sort of alarm to Allie? Her answer was quickly questioned.

"Michael! What are you doing here?" Alex exclaimed, genuine surprise in her voice. A cold chill ran over Olivia's body and she turned around to face this mystery man. Michael was a tall and built man, similar in size to Elliot. His gray eyes contrasted against the black flowing locks tucked neatly behind his ears. Olivia never thought that he would be Alex's type at all, but when did she ever think that Alex could be with anybody aside from her? Whether it was jealousy or gut instinct, her dark gaze remained on him distrustfully. There was just something about him she didn't like.

"I work here. What are you doing here? If you wanted a second date, you could have just called," his baritone voice echoed in the hallway along with his chuckle. Suddenly, Olivia felt ill. It was one thing for her imagination to run rampant when it came to Alex's love life, but to witness it was far worse.

"We're here investigating the death of a little girl," Olivia interrupted, her tone flat and cold with accusatory eyes. He scared Allie off for some reason and was dating the woman she had feelings for. One more strike and he'd be out.

"Erin McCaffe, right? She was in my English class," Michael slipped his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants. This just kept getting better and better.

"Michael Jennings. I should have known. What a small world," Alex laughed a little, trying to ease the tension radiating off of Olivia. What on earth had gotten into Olivia? She was looking at Michael as though he were some sort of criminal. Treating him as though he were the perpetrator they were looking for was entirely unfair and she intended on letting her know that as soon as they were out of the school.

"Did she leave your class on Thursday, Mr. Jennings?" Elliot asked, stepping in to play the neutral party between the three. Alex was too friendly while Olivia seemed as though she were going to tear him apart with her bare hands if only she could find a reason. He only knew that because he knew Olivia so well. Luckily, he knew that taking control of the situation would diffuse the tension enough to get the information they needed out of him.

"She did. Walked out with Allie, as usual."

"And where were you?" Olivia shot out. She demanded answers, but only received a disapproving look from Elliot. Elliot spoke before Alex had the opportunity.

"Mr. Jennings, can you tell us if you saw anything strange happening in the hallway while the girls were leaving?" Michael's eyes narrowed in on Olivia before looking back to Elliot with a calmer expression.

"No. They left. I said good-bye to my students and was in my classroom cleaning up for the next half hour. After that, I called Alex to schedule our date for Friday, clocked out and went home," he folded his arms across his chest in a defensive manner. Tensions were raising fast and while Elliot never minded a good fight, this could put a huge strain on Olivia and Alex, so he spoke quickly.

"All right, thank you. We'll be in touch. You hear of anything else, give me a call," he offered up his card which Michael took with a smile.

"Or I'll let Alex know. We still on for tomorrow?" he asked, which made Olivia want to lunge at him swinging. It was almost as if he knew that mentioning Alex was getting to her. She had a bad feeling about this one.

"I'll be there. Call you later," Alex replied, waving as Michael started walking away. The bell rang out just in time as the doors started opening. Allie was the first one out of the door, grabbing Olivia's arm and pushing up onto her tip-toes to whisper in her ear.

"Thursday, Mr. Jennings asked her to stay after class. She didn't want to and was rushing to hide in the bathroom. I never saw her after that." Her words were whispered until they both looked up to see Michael standing by his door, eyes unmoving on both of them. A gasp escaped Allie's lips and she let go before running to her next class.

So her gut instinct was right. Michael Jennings was hiding something. She just had to figure out what.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**/SVU Precinct: Monday afternoon, 3:00pm/**

"First good news we've heard all day. They found a small trace of blood on the windowsill in the last stall of the bathroom we checked out. There was a small smudged fingerprint as well, so we're hoping that the lab will be able to get us some sort of a lead," Elliot shot Olivia a small smile and folded his arms across his chest, leaning against his desk. The expectant look mixed with the smug grin on his face was her indication that she should be pleased. Why did she still feel so lousy?

"Great. Maybe we'll be able to nail the bastard before he gets another one," she grumbled just a little, hand reaching up to come through her short, dark strands with a long sigh escaping her lips. Something was on her mind and it wasn't like her to be so preoccupied when there was a huge case like this occurring. _What does she see in that guy?_

"…you all right?" Elliot's tone was quiet, subtle. Conversations between partners didn't need to be shared throughout the precinct, especially when they were in reference to a certain gorgeous ADA. He wasn't an idiot. He knew good and damn well that meeting Alex's current love interest wasn't exactly on Olivia's list of favorite experiences. It was written all over her face, but that didn't mean she was going to talk about it. More often times than not, he would get a "Don't worry about it" or "I'm fine", so what made him think that today was going to be any different?

Today was different, though. The pain she felt seeing Alex flirt with another person in front of her would be the equivalent of what she'd imagine swallowing nails would feel like. Olivia was no stranger to pain, however, and would have pushed her pain deep within her had it not been for the tidbit of information she received from Allie Floyd. Her lips parted to speak when she heard familiar heels clicking on the concrete floors, faint footsteps becoming more prominent as Alex pushed open the double doors into the office. Based on the abrupt slam of the doors behind her, nobody doubted the rage she brought into the precinct.

"What the _hell_ was that, Detective?" Alex's voice was raised, not bothering to hide her displeasure in Olivia's behavior toward Michael. Olivia spun around in her chair, hands in her lap as those dark eyes looked at her in disbelief. There was that fleeting moment of doubt in Alex once more. Was her anger toward Olivia unfounded? Did she misinterpret the situation and assume Olivia was mistreating Michael due to her own biases toward the situation? Surely not! No, Alex stood her ground, clenching her jaw as well as her fist around the handle of the briefcase in her right hand.

"What was _what_, Alex? My aggression toward Michael Jennings? I don't recall there ever being a time that you came to the defense for someone I intimidated. I'm sorry if I upset your little boyfr-"

"He is _not_ my boyfriend, Olivia, and he's certainly not little, so do not make assumptions based on information you know nothing about," she shot back at Olivia, interrupting her to deliver her own words of anger. Had she slept with Michael? Not even close, but she said it to hurt Olivia. She regretted it the moment the pain registered in Olivia's eyes. Damn that temper of hers. Her blue eyes immediately looked anywhere else but Olivia's face, meeting the faces of Stabler, Munch and Tutuola watching in absolute shock. Clearing her throat, her eyes went back to Olivia who stared intently on the desk. If she stared any harder, she'd seer a hole through the wooden desktop.

"Office. Now," she spoke more softly, but the damage was done. Her fists balled up by her sides as she walked past the men staring in silence. Olivia said nothing, fighting back tears of anger that gave her true emotions away. After a few seconds, she pushed herself up out of the chair and headed toward the ADA's office at the end of the hall. Even as she stepped inside and closed the door, she hardly spoke. Alex turned to face her, eyes softening as they fell upon Olivia's gaze. Was she about to cry?

"Liv…" she started, but the look in Olivia's angry eyes immediately caused her to close her mouth.

"Don't…you ever scold me like a child in front of my colleagues again, Alex. I was doing my job and will continue to do so. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest you consider a transfer," Olivia growled in her words, her tone hardened and cold. She spoke as if she was ready for a fight, and she certainly was going to get one.

"Excuse me? Since when did badgering a witness ever become part of_ doing of your job_, Olivia? You were out of line! You're so desperate to find your killer that you're ready to point the finger at anybody you may not like, for whatever the reason."

"The hell I am, Alex! I have an obligation to find this little girl's rapist and killer. If Michael Jennings looks guilty, then I'm going to call it like I see it! He's hiding something, don't you see that?" The frustration in Olivia's voice matched the movement of her hands, with palms open shaking angrily in Alex's direction. Why couldn't she just see reason?

"He has done nothing wrong, Olivia! This isn't a witch hunt, so stop trying to persecute a man you know nothing about!" Were they really going to get into a screaming match in the middle of the precinct? Despite the fact that they were in an office, the volume of their voices could easily be heard as shown by the fact that the rest of the building remained as quiet as it had ever been. That was certainly no coincidence.

"Is that what you think I'm doing? Since when has trying to find someone's killer ever turned into a simple witch hunt! Just because I don't like your boyfriend doesn't mean tha-"

"For God's sake, he is _not_ my boyfriend! And you don't even know him to determine whether you like him or not! What is wrong with you?" The tension between the two escalated quickly as Alex stepped closer to Olivia. Both women were stubborn and accustomed to getting what they wanted. The friendship these two had built teetered on a very thin rope, which luckily remained intact due to a knock at the door which interrupted the screaming match. Elliot made a bold move opening that door to change the subject.

"Liv. We gotta go. Just got a call from the school. Two nannies found the body of a little girl a couple blocks down from the school. It's Allie Floyd." Olivia and Alex both stared at him, shock registering on their faces as the information sank in. While they stood there in the midst of their argument, Allie Floyd had her last few minutes on this earth. Olivia's eyes angrily shot over in Alex's direction.

"Great. Our only witness ends up dead after fingering Michael as the one who most likely killed Erin. He had better have one hell of an alibi," Olivia growled as she stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her.

**\Crime Scene: Monday afternoon, 3:30pm/**

The body of Allie Floyd quickly joined the hundreds of victims in the sea of Olivia's memories that she wasn't able to protect. That little girl spoke to Olivia, overcoming her fears in the hopes to help the police seek justice for her best friend. At eleven years old, Allie had it more figured out that even Olivia did. Her dark eyes stared down at the little girl in horror and shock. The guilt was overwhelming. How could someone take a child's life so easily? Her jaw clenched as she slowly crouched down beside her body for a better look. Somehow, she was going to have to find a way to objectify her body and take away the emotions hindering her from catching the son-of-a-bitch killing children.

"She was strangled," Olivia spoke out, looking to Dr. Warner who was examining the evidence.

"Yes. Based on the bruising around her neck and the red spots in her eyes, it would be safe to say that the cause of death is strangulation."

"Do you know when?" Elliot brought a gloved hand down to lightly touch the victim's wrist. "She's still warm," he added, looking to Melinda for a more elaborate answer.

"You're right. I'd say time of death would be about an hour ago. I'm going to run a few tests just to make sure of everything, but I'll let you two know as soon as the results come back." She stood up and walked away, leaving Olivia and Elliot to stand there, dumbfounded over the turn of events.

"It's gotta be Jennings, Elliot. I'm certain of it. He saw Allie talking to me. Got spooked and killed her so that she couldn't testify against him."

"School doesn't let out until right about now, though. How would Michael be in class and be here killing Allie at the same time?" Elliot asked, attempting to be the voice of reason. He didn't like Michael that much either, but he wasn't going to point the fingers at someone without solid evidence. Olivia knew that, but she didn't need Elliot telling her that right now. She especially didn't need it with Alex walking onto the crime scene.

"I took the liberty of checking at the school. Michael Jennings was in his class then and is at the school now. Everybody on that hall can attest for his whereabouts," Alex announced, the venom in her voice powerful and apparent. Before Olivia had the chance to speak, Alex's blue eyes stared over at her with a gaze filled with anger.

"You'll have to find another man to point your finger at, Detective," she added before turning around on her heel to storm off. The chill in her voice, along with her sarcasm, left the scene dead silent, her heels clicking against the concrete being so much louder than it should. Olivia watched her walk away, a small sigh leaving her lips.

"I was so sure it was him..." she said softly, only to feel Elliot's hand on her shoulder.

"It happens to the best of us, Liv. Look. I've got this. You go home. I'll wrap up here," Elliot replied with a squeeze on her shoulder.

Olivia wasn't being given much of a choice this time. She had to get this crime out of her head or she'd be crazier than half the men she put away in Rikers. A sigh escaped her lips and she nodded, standing up entirely to walk to her car. If Michael Jennings wasn't the killer, then who was? Who could have known that Allie shared information with Olivia? How could someone have killed her so easily in broad daylight? Despite the alibi, Olivia just couldn't shake him. Something wasn't right and Olivia had to figure it out before it was too late for another little girl.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**/O'Malley's Bar - Monday night, 9:45pm/**

The whiskey slid down Olivia's throat with a smooth burning sensation as it moved south to settle into her chest. She wasn't the type to go out and drown her sorrows in a bottle, but what was one more fuck-up going to cause? Just add it to the growing pile of mistakes she was making over the past week.

"I can hear you beating yourself up from over here..." Elliot said with a small smile tugging on his lips. He always had that look of understanding, even when he really didn't understand the depths of her plight. It was part of what made him such a good father. Olivia only laughed just a little and shook her head.

"I just can't believe I made such an ass out of myself to Alex. To make matters worse, I let my feelings get so out of control that another little girl got killed. I was just so sure of it," she brought a hand to run through her shorter brown locks, gripping firmly as if that alone would take the tension away.

"Stop, Olivia. Just stop. I thought he might be our guy too, but how many times has that happened? We make mistakes. We move on. Look, if you feel so bad, why don't you just go apologize to Alex? Wouldn't be the first time we've had to." He laughed when Olivia started shaking her head.

"No, I can't..."

"Liv, come on. This is eating you up inside. I know you love her and this is really hard for you, bu-"

"What did you just say to me?" Olivia asked defensively, head lifting in defiance when she looked over at Elliot, eyes filled with irritation that masked over her fear. Was it that obvious? Elliot's expression as his eyebrows lifted just slightly, giving her that unwavering stare before he smiled over the brim of his beer glass.

"You realize I'm your partner, right? So this deer in the headlights act isn't gonna fly with me. I have seen you through how many flings and meaningless relationships at this point? You didn't love any of those guys the way you love Alex. You know how I know? The way you look at her. Reminds me of how I look at Kathy. You two fight like us too, "he replied with a small chuckle. Did she really think he was dumb? Did anybody else in the precinct know? Probably not. If they did, nobody ever said anything, but Elliot knew Olivia better than anybody. He knew every aspect of her emotional spectrum and experienced each one on a regular basis. Even in this moment, when she stared at him silently, he knew exactly what she was feeling. He continued.

"All right, listen. We won't talk about it, but you still need to go and apologize to her. You won't let it go if you don't."

"You're right..." Olivia said softly, downing the last of her third glass of whiskey.

"Of course I am. Aren't I always?" he laughed softly and shot her a small wink, reaching for the jacket on the back of his stool. "I gotta go. Kathy'll kill me if I come home any later tonight. See you tomorrow." His fingers flipped through the small amount of bills in his wallet before tossing some of them down on the table, enough to cover both of their drinks. Slapping her gently on the shoulder, he headed toward the door.

"Thanks, El. See ya..." she sighed and watched as Elliot walked out of the bar, leaving here there to decide how she was going to spend the rest of her night. Turning her head to the bartender, she lifted her index finger up and signaled for a refill.

"One more and I'm outta here."

**/Alex Cabot's apartment - Monday night, 10:30pm/**

Alex sat quietly on her couch, relaxing in her apartment that was filled with only the sound of soft classical music. Classical music was the best way to relax...along with a glass of scotch. After the day she had, fighting with Olivia, and then fighting with Michael because of Olivia, she needed a quiet night at home. Was Olivia entirely wrong? No. She had a gut instinct and went for it. Was Michael wrong for being angry about being targeted? No. He didn't do anything wrong. Even still, she found herself defending Michael to Olivia only to find herself defending Olivia to Michael when she showed up to the school earlier that day. What terrified her more was how much harder she fought against Michael in Olivia's defense. The thought of anybody saying a bad word against her detective was enough to send her into an angry rage.

_Knock, knock!_ The abrupt sound caught her attention, her blue eyes lifting from her glass to the clock on the wall. Who on earth was visiting her this late at night? Her bare feet padded against the hard wooded floor as she turned to walk over, setting her glass down on the counter as she walked past to get to the front door.

"Who is it?" she called out, stepping up to the peep hole to see through it.

"It's Olivia," she heard back, the form in the peep hole confirming the voice. Her heart stopped when she saw here there. What was she doing here? Oh God, the butterflies formed in her stomach and she had to rest her forehead against the door for a split second in order to contain herself. Suddenly, she regretted having those glasses of scotch. With a small breath, she pulled at the doorknob and opened the door to face the woman who unnerved her daily.

"More accusations?" Alex snapped just a little, trying to hide behind what little anger she had for Olivia, scared to find that there was none. The combination of Olivia's sympathetic smile and warm, brown eyes was lethal to her composure, so she was thankful to have the door for her to hold on to.

"I deserve that. Can I come in?" Olivia asked, her tone softer than it had been the past couple of days. Maybe it was Elliot's words bringing her feelings into reality that made her realize just how harsh she'd been on Alex. Whatever the reason may be, she was glad that Alex forgave her enough to step aside to let her come in.

"What are you doing here so late, Olivia?" Alex asked, closing the door behind them once they were both inside. Olivia's hands fidgeted just a little and the slight smell of whiskey caught her attention when Olivia walked past her. Had she been drinking? Her lips parted to speak, but she held her tongue for the time being. She didn't want to distract her from the real reason she was here. Luckily, Olivia never beat around the bush too much. She swung around to face her, dark eyes locking on Alex's face. It was as though she pierced her soul with that gaze.

"I came to apologize. I was wrong about Michael and I shouldn't have accused him. I was just blinded by..." she paused, catching herself before she finished that sentence with one word: jealousy. When Olivia met Alex's blue eyes, she faltered just a little, heart sinking into her stomach. Suddenly, her mouth was dry and she had forgotten what she was saying.

"No, don't apologize, Olivia. You were just doing your job," Alex reached out to let her hand brush against Olivia's arm. Her attempt at a friendly gesture backfired and the moment her fingers felt the warmth of her body through the thick leather of her jacket. Quickly, she pulled her hand back and felt the blush forming across her cheeks. At least she could blame it on the scotch, right? Olivia didn't seem to notice the blush, thankfully, and shook her head while stepping away from her.

"Alex, don't. I was out of line accusing him of rape and murder just based on my gut. I'm sorry," Olivia should have stopped there, but with the alcohol in her system, she continued. "I let my feelings of you and him get wrapped up in this investigation…"

"What do you mean, 'your feelings of me and him'? What are you talking about?" Alex attempted to feign ignorance, but her heart was pounding deep within her chest. Could Olivia have feelings for her as well? There was no way that she could have. Olivia, being the hotshot detective, had men and women both falling all over her. It was damn near impossible for her to compete.

Meanwhile, Olivia stood there mentally kicking herself for even letting that slip out. What was she going to say? She was certain that if she told Alex about how she truly felt, that would be the end of their friendship. Olivia couldn't lose her entirely.

"I just mean…we usually tell each other everything. It was just all so sudden," she replied, already regretting that answer. Typically, she was good at coming up with an answer, but being under the influence of alcohol was not helping her case. Nevertheless, Alex seemed to buy it.

"Oh. Well. That makes sense, I guess." There was a hint of disappointment in Alex's tone as her arms wrapped around her mid-section, leaning against the counter. "Would you like something to drink? Maybe stay a while?" Olivia had to close her eyes and clench that jaw for a moment to refrain from accepting that invitation. It would be too hard for her to drink more and be in Alex's presence without making advances toward her.

"Thanks, but I should be getting back. I have a lot of work in the morning. I just wanted to make sure you knew how deeply sorry I am," she slipped those hands into the pockets of her jacket, only so that she could ball them into fists without being noticeable. Alex nodded and made her best attempt to smile.

"Right. Well, apology accepted," Alex agreed, turning to walk toward the front door with Olivia only a few steps behind her. Once she reached the door, she turned toward Olivia to hug her good-bye. Alex slid her arm around Olivia's waist and the other around her shoulders, only to find the motion matched by the detective who hugged her tight. The moment they fell into that embrace, both froze, unable to let go of the other. Alex's eyes closed when Olivia's head turned to rest her cheek against Alex's. Olivia felt so amazing. Her embrace was strong and comforting, making Alex feel protected and at home. At the same time, the simple touch ignited her entire body to burst into flames from the inside out. With a single hug, Alex felt her body come to life.

The sweet scent of Alex's shampoo and the hint of scotch surrounded Olivia's senses, a memory that Olivia would never forget. Her nose brushed lightly against Alex's hair, intoxicated by the smell of roses overpowering her senses. She never wanted to leave this spot. If given the opportunity, she would have stayed in Alex's arms for as long as she could.

"Liv…" she heard Alex whisper, pulling back slowly and yet not letting go. The grip on her body didn't loosen either. They pulled back only enough to catch the glimpse of desire in both of their eyes. Warm breath danced against Olivia's lips and she could no longer hold back. Her head leaned in to fill the space between them with a kiss. Alex's lips were stiff for only a second before she, too, gave in to the passion dwelling within both of them.

_She tastes like honey and scotch…_ Olivia thought, entirely hooked on the way Alex returned that kiss. She felt Alex's hand slowly rise to rest against her face, the warmth of her fingertips branding their claim against the strong curve of her jaw. The touch of her hand against her face felt so welcoming that Olivia brought her own hand up to match, this time resting her hand against the side of Alex's neck.

To Alex, the room was spinning. Her life was spinning out of control and she didn't care where it would land as long as it remained in Olivia's control. A soft moan escaped her lips, muffling against their mouths before she pulled back, breaking the kiss to catch her breath. The moment the kiss ended, she opened her eyes to see Olivia standing in front of her, so close…so tempting. Her fingers, at this point, had traveled from her cheek to slide through those strands of brown. How many times had she wondered what it was like to run her fingers through them? Too many to count. Even when she'd done it to Michael, she thought of Olivia's soft, brown locks. Oh God. Michael. The realization of his existence caused Alex's eyes to widen. She was with Michael and yet, here she was, kissing Olivia. Immediately, she pulled out of Olivia's arms.

"Oh God, Liv. We can't do this. I can't…" she brought a hand to her lips, shock hitting her harder than usual. Olivia reached for her and Alex stepped back.

"Alex…don't do this. Please…" Olivia started, but it was too late. Alex was gone to her.

"Liv, please. I can't. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, the tears already forming in her blue eyes. Why was she crying? Olivia wouldn't have the opportunity to find out why before Alex pulled the front door open for her to leave. Olivia's lips parted to speak, but the look on Alex's face was enough to stop her from it. Instead, she slipped through the door and out into the hallway.

"See you tomorrow, Alex," she replied, still confused. What just happened here? One minute, they were kissing and the next, she was being pushed out into the hallway.

"Mmhmm." Alex didn't dare speak out of fear that she would burst into tears, closing the door quietly after Olivia stepped out. No sooner was the door closed did Alex let the tears flow, streaming down her cheeks without resistance. Why on earth was she crying? The answer wasn't as simple as she'd hoped.

Alex felt more in that single kiss with Olivia than she'd felt with anybody…ever. The way her body reacted to Olivia's touch felt more than just the physical. It was as though Olivia was holding not her body, but her soul. That feeling brought her to two conclusions:

First, Alex was entirely in love with Olivia.

Second, she wasn't ready for it.


	6. Chapter 6

**/SVU Precinct: Thursday, 9:32am/**

Olivia's eyes remained locked on the clock of her computer, pen tapping idly against the desk. Alex hadn't spoken to her since Monday night. Every time she attempted to speak to her, Alex would make some excuse to leave. Couldn't she at least give her the proper opportunity to apologize? Not that Olivia wanted to. Despite the liquid courage, kissing Alex rejuvenated her entire body in a way nothing had in a long while. No matter how many cases she solved or victims she saved, she couldn't stop the ever growing void inside of her…until she experienced that kiss. There was an unmistakable, heated passion in their embrace. Didn't she feel it? Maybe she foolishly headed down the path of unrequited love, but it was worth it. Olivia had no doubt of that.

_Ahem!_ The sound of Munch's throat clearing caught her attention and she shifted her chocolate hues in his direction, registering the sight of his irritated expression at the never-ending pen tapping. Immediately, Olivia dropped the pen on the desk and she gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry." No need to elaborate beyond that, right? Even if she wanted to, the sound of familiar footsteps caused her mouth to close. That typical confident stride of the blonde in a navy blue skirt suit walked past her, not even bothering to stop. Alex was terrified to stop and say hello. What if everybody in the precinct saw right through her? What if her confessions of love became clear in a simple "Good morning, Olivia"? She felt as though even a glance in her direction would give away every feeling she'd fought over the past two days and that was just something Alex wasn't ready to confront. Therefore, she simply walked past Olivia and toward Cragen's office.

"…the hell..?" Olivia murmured to herself as she pushed up from her chair to follow Alex, quickening her pace to catch up before she'd reach the captain's door. Her hand reached out and wrapped around Alex's arm, gripping it gently to stop her.

"Alex, wait. I need to talk to you…" she spoke softly, eyebrows knitting together a little when Alex pulled her arm away quickly. What changed so quickly?

"What is it, Olivia?" Alex was so scared that her voice would waver, trying to keep her guard up as those baby blues met Olivia's gaze. The hurt in Olivia's eyes broke her heart. She wanted to reach out so desperately…but she couldn't bring herself to do it, despite how much Alex ached to do so.

"I just...wanted to talk to you about Monday night," Olivia started, but was quickly interrupted.

"You don't need to say anything, Olivia. Let's just forget it ever happened okay? You don't owe me any sort of apology," Alex couldn't bear to hear Olivia apologize and regret the kiss. She wouldn't ever want Olivia regretting it, even with the way she was acting. Her behavior canceled out any wishes she had for Olivia, but even still, she couldn't shake the desire for Olivia to have enjoyed the kiss. God knows, she did.

"Alex, I don't want to f-"

"Good, then we're agreed. If you'll excuse me, I have to meet with your boss."

"But, wait. I-"Alex turned and walked into Cragen's office, closing the door and leaving Olivia standing there alone. A long sigh escaped Olivia's lips.

"…love you…" she brought a hand up to comb those fingers through her hair, gripping a handful for a frustrated tug before turning to walk back to her desk. No sooner did she get to her desk and that phone start ringing. Thank God. She could use the distraction. Snatching up the phone, she put the receiver to her ear, holding it between her shoulder and ear.

"Benson."

"Olivia. It's Dr. Warner. I've got something you may want to take a look at."

"All right, doc. I'm on my way." She answered the phone and grabbed her jacket, storming out and leaving Alex to watch her exit from behind closed blinds.

**/Medical Examiner's Office: Thursday, 10:18am/**

The chilling temperatures hit Olivia the moment she stepped through the small bits of plastic covering the entrance into the laboratory. It still surprised her how Melinda managed to work under these conditions. She wasn't just content with her life's work…she was actually happy about it. How was it that Dr. Warner worked with the dead and yet managed such a normal lifestyle outside of the office? Olivia had to laugh inwardly at herself. She must have missed the life management memo.

"Spacing out on me already, Olivia?" Dr. Warner's friendly voice pulled her back into the present as her dark eyes snapped up to look at her.

"Hm? Sorry about that. I just have a lot on my mind."

"I can see that." There was a knowing look on Melinda's face that caused Olivia's eyebrows to furrow just a bit. What did she know? Change the subject…quick.

"What'd you find out?" She gave a smile and raised her eyebrows to show her growing curiosity. Luckily, the change of subject worked. Melinda only smiled and turned to reach for a file resting on the table beside her computer.

"The lab results from that fingerprint and the blood from the girl's bathroom."

"…And?"

"The fingerprint matches your victim. The blood, however, does not." Melinda handed the file over to show the results, only to hold up a finger to pause Olivia from speaking.

"There's more," she started, walking over to her computer to pull up a photo of Erin's dead body. "I examined the body again. I found particles of blood underneath Erin's index fingernail and tested it. It's a match to the blood found in the bathroom. Whoever killed Erin took her out of that bathroom. The DNA results are in that file. They didn't match anybody in the system." Olivia let out a long sigh, nodding.

"I've got a hunch. Thanks, Doc." She playfully smacked the file lightly against Melinda's shoulder before turning to walk out.

"Where are you going, Olivia?" Melinda called out after her, causing Olivia to stop in the doorway and look back to her. Their gazes connected, lingering for a good few seconds before Olivia spoke. Melinda knew that whatever Olivia had up her sleeve, it was not good. She knew that look in Olivia's eyes when she had a hunch. Trouble was stirring, and with one sentence, Melinda's suspicions were confirmed.

"I'm going to find Michael Jennings."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**/Herman P. Alexander Private School, Thursday: 12:25pm/**

Olivia had a plan. Whether it was the smartest plan, she wasn't entirely certain, but it was a plan nonetheless. Alex was, no doubt, going to be furious if she found out what Olivia was about to do. The only thing that she could hope would be that the DNA she was about to snatch from Michael would be a match to the blood samples Melinda had at the medical examiner's office. This was a huge risk that she was taking, but she had a hunch so strong that she couldn't overlook it...especially since he seemed to have such a hold on Alex. Surely, Alex would understand. Eventually.

Dark eyes stared at the clock on her watch as she leaned against the brick siding of the school. Lunch would be over soon and that's exactly when she had to get into the school. There was about five minutes left on the clock before the bell would ring, so he had to be finishing lunch right about now. Olivia turned on her heeled boot to head into the school with her hands already slipping the latex gloves on. There was no doubt about her intentions; she planned to ambush him. Sliding her hands into her pockets, Olivia slipped them into ziplock bags to prepare for her covert mission. After signing in at the front desk, she turned the corner into his hallway and headed to the last door on the right, "Mr. Jennings' Class" written on construction paper taped to the classroom door. A smirk tugged on Olivia's lips as she slowed her pace to a stop as she stepped up to the doorframe, head peeking in to see if Michael was in there. The dark-haired man sat at his desk, finishing a sandwich, Coca-Cola can beside the wrapper. Bingo. Time to go to work.

"Mr. Jennings?" she asked as she stepped into the classroom, gloved hands purposely held into the pockets of her jackets. Michael looked up, an expression of pure irritation on his face the moment Olivia stepped inside.

"What do you want? More accusations?" he snapped, throwing down the crust of his sandwich onto the wrapper. "I have class in a few minutes, so whatever it is, make it quick." _Oh don't you worry. I will,_ Olivia thought as she walked toward his desk, a soft smile on her face. She was doing her best to remain friendly for the sake of forcing him to let his guard down.

"No, actually. This will only take a minute. I wanted to apologize for my actions the other day. I shouldn't have verbally attacked you the way that I did." Michael laughed, though Olivia could have sworn there was a snarl in the midst of it as he stood up, throwing that Coca-Cola can into the trash beside his desk. _Gotcha, you son-of-a-bitch, _she thought, but kept her gaze focused on him.

"You're damn right you shouldn't have, Detective Benson. I could have your badge for behavior like that. I'm amazed that you haven't lost it already if that's how you treat citizens of New York." Michael's eyes narrowed a little, that smug smirk curled on his lips. If he wasn't such a cocky bastard, he _might _have been considered handsome. Olivia only nodded a little, taking on the persona of the ever-so-humble cop.

"You're right, Michael. I shouldn't have let my personal feelings get in the way of work."

"Personal feelings? Yeah, I thought you might have had some lesbo hard-on for Alex. Makes sense, considering your man-hating tendencies." Who the hell did this guy think he was? He was making it incredibly difficult for Olivia to remain calm. He was lucky that her hands were locked in those ziplock bags, or she would have broken his nose. Instead, she slipped past him to lean against the corner of his desk. She would do just about anything she had to in order to get that Coke can he'd discarded.

"Well, I just came to make sure there weren't any hard feelings. I won't hold any grudges against you for your insults if you won't hold any grudges about me taking your DNA," she replied as her hand slipped out of her pocket, ziplock bag on her gloved hand as she reached down to scoop up that soda can, only to take the other gloved hand and turn the ziplock bag inside out, sealing the untainted evidence in her hand. The stunned look on his face was one that Olivia would have loved to take a picture of. She slipped those gloves off and shot him a small wink, pushing off of the desk to walk past him.

"You bitch! You can't take that!" He immediately pushed forward to snatch the bagged soda can away from her, but she lifted her hand away to keep him from doing so.

"Oh, but I can. You threw it away and discarded your can, which is practically consenting to a DNA test. Should've been smarter about that one, Michael." Olivia shot him a mockingly apologetic look as she stepped out into the hallway just as the bell rang for the children to return to their classrooms. Her eyebrows rose a little, that winning smirk on her face as he stopped immediately, knowing that he couldn't fight her with children scattering down the hallways to return to their classes.

"Don't look so upset, Mr. Jennings. You'll see me again soon." _That's a promise_, she thought as she turned away to walk out of the school before the hallways were flooded with children. Olivia had to get back to the Medical Examiner's Office before school got out. They needed those results and fast.

**/SVU Precinct: Thursday, 4:30pm/**

Olivia dropped off the soda can hours ago and now sat back at her desk, fingers gingerly resting against her forehead as she watched the clock. She needed those results to pick this man up before anything else happened to another victim. He could have lashed out and taken another child, or even gone after Alex. The image of Alex's emotionless face from earlier flashed in her mind. Was she still here in the office? Straightening up, her hand immediately reached for the phone, dialing that number she'd memorized so long ago. She listened to the ringing of the phone until the voicemail picked up and stayed on the phone just to hear Alex's confident, relaxed voice.

_You've reached the voicemail of Assistant District Attorney, Alex Cabot. I'm currently unavailable or on the other line. Please leave your name, phone number and reason for calling and I will return your phone call as soon as possible. _BEEP.

"Uhh, hey Alex. It's Liv. Just...calling to see if you're all right. Give me a call back when you get this, okay?" _I love you_, she thought to add, but hung up the phone instead with a long sigh. As soon as she ended the call, her phone rang, causing Olivia to jump to snatch the phone back up.

"Alex?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Olivia. It's Dr. Warner. I have the DNA results back from that soda can you brought in. It's a match to the blood found underneath Erin's fingernails and to the blood found in the girl's bathroom." That was the best news Olivia had received all day.

"I knew it. Thanks, Melinda. Can you send that paperwork over?" Olivia was already scrambling to pick up her things so that she could leave.

"Sure. I'll send it right away."

"Thanks." The call was ended as she tossed the phone onto the desk while slinging her leather coat on. Right at that moment, the door opened to the precinct with Elliot walking in. Olivia quickly met him at the door, causing alert to flash in his gaze.

"What's going on?" he asked, stopping abruptly in front of her. Something was going on and the urgency in which Olivia was reacting meant that it was a big deal.

"We got him. I went down to the school today before their lunch ended and grabbed Jennings' Coke can out of his trash. Took it down to the ME's office for testing. Michael Jennings' DNA matched the blood under Erin's fingernails. We have to pick him up before another little girl gets killed." Elliot's face paled and his smile faded, causing Olivia's heart to pound deep within her chest. That wasn't a good sign.

"What is it, El?"

"He called Alex around then and told her he had an emergency and needed to see her. She left soon afterwards." The blood rushed to Olivia's head when she realized that her bold move to get his DNA had come with risks. She just didn't realize that the price to pay would be one that was too costly. Her decision to confront him would end up putting Alex's life in danger. Now there was only one thing to do.

"We've gotta get her back."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**/Alex Cabot's home: Thursday, 12:45pm/**

Alex hurried back to her house after receiving a frantic phone call from Michael. Typically, she wouldn't rush to see someone she'd just ended things with, but it sounded like an emergency. What could have happened that would have him behaving that way? Sure, he didn't take her ending things Tuesday night very well, but she didn't think he was anything but harmless. Boy, was she wrong! She made her way up to the driveway of her house, pushing the door shut as she walked quickly up to the front door where he stood. He looked troubled, angry. Suddenly, she had a really bad feeling about all of this. Her eyebrows furrowed along with that frown on her face as she gripped her briefcase a bit tighter.

"What's going on, Michael? I thought I made it clear that it was over," she spoke carefully but with a firm tone to make sure he wasn't here to try and beg her back. She didn't tell him this, but after that kiss with Olivia, she knew that she couldn't happily kiss anybody else. Whether she was ready to accept it or not, she loved Olivia and didn't need to waste her time chasing people who wouldn't compare. She would much rather just be alone. Granted, she gave Michael the vague _This just isn't working out, it's not you, it's me_ type of reasoning because he didn't need to know that he paled in comparison to the way Olivia held her and kissed her...even just once.

What was she expecting in this moment? Alex had no idea what could be going on, but it never occurred to her that when he pulled his hand out of his pocket, he'd be holding a .9mm pistol in his hand pointed in her direction. Her eyes lowered to the gun and she froze in place, lips parting just a little to suck in a breath of surprise. Michael's bloodshot eyes narrowed and he flashed a cold smile in her direction.

"Open the door and get inside, Alex," he said in a low, dangerous voice. How had Alex not seen this evil side of Michael? Olivia picked up on it instantly and how long did she defend him? Now look where it got her. She was held at gunpoint in her own house and nobody knew it. At this point, she could only pray that Olivia could somehow sense that she was in danger. She reached into the pocket of her suit jacket to retrieve her keys, fingers fumbling over the handful of keys to try and find her house key in the midst of trembling hands.

"Hurry the fuck up!" he shouted, which only made the fumbling worse. Luckily, she had the key in the door before he got any angrier. Stepping into the house, she managed to set her briefcase down before Michael pushed her forward.

"Michael, there has to be some way for us to discuss this. I know you weren't happy when things ended, but I assure you. It's for the b-" Michael's laughter cut her off.

"You really think that's what this is about? Come on, Alex. Give me a little credit. This has nothing to do with that. Your dyke cop found out what I did to that girl and I need an escape plan. Looks like it's your unlucky day." Wait, what? The words were registering in her brain as she turned to face him, the shock written across her face.

"What? You mean you raped and killed Erin…?" she was absolutely stunned. This man was the last person she would have ever thought could be responsible for such a heinous crime. Looking at the sinister darkness in his expression, she found herself more shocked that it never occurred to her before this moment. Alex felt absolutely, completely, entirely betrayed.

"She was sassy. A lot like Detective Benson. Someone had to teach that little bitch some manners. It'd been so long since I'd found someone to satisfy those needs," he started, each word making Alex's stomach turn. Thank God she'd never slept with him.

"Please stop…" she begged, not wanting to hear anymore. Knowing what he was capable of only made her fear for her life that much more. He was going to kill her and nobody would ever know. She was going to have to fight him for that gun somehow.

"Oh no, Alex. We're just getting started." The growl in his words was harsher than before. It was as though he were someone else entirely. She was going to have to push aside the fact of who she thought he was and who he truly was. When Michael looked away for a second to see outside the window, Alex took a big chance. The biggest chance she had taken in her entire life. She jumped forward to grab the gun in his hand, both hands wrapping around his hand and the gun in an attempt to fight it out of his grasp. The gun, pointed past her, went off, each round firing off down the hallway, breaking windows and lodging into walls and doors. If she couldn't fight off the gun then at least empty it. Her finger pulled on the trigger as many times as she could until she felt the gun click empty. Michael's scream of frustrating boomed throughout the house before he yanked the gun out of her grip.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that." His tone was low and dangerous as he swung the gun forward, smacking her hard across the side of her head, followed by a second blow to the face. After that, everything went black.

**/Alex Cabot's home: Thursday, 5:20pm/**

Olivia and Elliot had a dilemma. Where should they start? Time was of the essence and they couldn't afford to lose the time by picking the wrong place to start investigating in Michael's whereabouts. He could have snatched Alex and taken her to some unknown location or gone directly to her home. One thing they were certain of was that any clues would be at his home. Therefore, Elliot headed up a team to check out Michael's residence while Olivia headed in the direction of Alex's house. She just had to see for herself if Alex was safe. She had to be home. She just had to be. Olivia agreed to check out Alex's place with a few patrol officers waiting to give her backup outside if Elliot would take Munch and Tutuola to Michael's apartment and see what they could find out.

As her car came to a stop just outside of the house, Olivia's gaze fell onto the familiar car that was parked in front, indicating that Alex had been home. Immediately, she reached for the radio in the front seat of the car, pulling it up to her mouth.

"Elliot, Alex's car is parked outside of her house. I'm going in."

"Copy that. Munch and Tutuola are continuing to search for clues. I'm en route to your location. Be careful, Liv."

"Will do." Olivia tossed her radio into the front seat of her car and immediately opened the door to walk up to the house. There was a gut instinct that something was wrong. Michael was a smart guy…if he called up Alex immediately after Olivia took his DNA, she was his first stop and he wasn't going to be nice about it. Alex would make a great hostage to negotiate with, now wouldn't she? The thought alone caused her jaw to clench and she reached for her gun out of the holster. Her hand reached out to touch the door knob to the front door. Unlocked. Alex never left her door unlocked. None of them did. They all knew better. Something was wrong.

"Michael, stop!" Olivia heard the shouting inside and immediately reached into her pocket for her cell phone, dialing Elliot's number.

"Stabler."

"El, he's here," she whispered into the phone, flipping it shut before he had the opportunity to respond. He had to hurry and could radio back for assistance. Olivia looked to the two officers standing behind her, hand up to stop them.

"Wait for my order." That wasn't up for negotiation. Slowly, she pushed that door open and lifted her gun, ready to point and shoot at any opportunity. This man was extremely dangerous and had Alex, which meant that if Olivia had the opportunity to kill this man, she would do it. As bad of a decision as it would be, Olivia would kill him without hesitation to protect the woman she loves.

_Crash!_ The noise of a loud thud followed quickly by broken glass had Olivia hurrying into the living room. Her gaze lifted to see Michael against the wall with Alex pulled up against him. Her eye and cheek was swollen and bruised, her lip bleeding from where it had been busted open. There was panic written across Alex's face as both hands clung to his forearm, hoping to fight him off and yet failing miserably. Michael's face was covered in sweat, his typically perfect hair ruffled from the struggle he must have had with Alex. The most terrifying part of this image was the knife he held to Alex's throat. Michael laughed softly when Olivia lifted the gun toward him.

"Well, hello again, Detective. Not so arrogant now, are you? I'm sure you remember this knife. The way that it eased across that little girl's throat. Just as it would to your little girlfriend here. You remember what a mess that was. She died fast, you know. Bled out in seconds. You never would have been able to save her. Just like you wouldn't be able to save Alex," the psychotic look in his cold eyes had Olivia reeling. She had to make a quick decision…one that could save Alex or kill her. Her heart pounded in her chest, the loud thudding in her ears as she remained very still. In all of her years in dealing with hostage situations, she'd never felt more terrified than she did in this moment.

"Listen to me, Michael. You don't want to do this. You couldn't help yourself with Erin and then things got out of hand. I get it." Olivia wanted to try talking him down if she could. As much as she wanted to jump at him, she had to move slowly for Alex's sake. As she took that first step toward him, the blade came up to her throat and he shook his head.

"Back up, Benson or I'll slit her throat clean," he warned, grinning at Alex's whimper as the cold blade pressed against her neck.

"Please, don't…" Alex choked out just a little, careful not to move into the knife. Michael lowered his gaze to Alex and shook her just a little, enough to make the knife just barely knick her skin as a warning of what would happen if she fought him any further.

"Shut up, Alex. Nobody asked you. You left me, remember? So you don't get a say in things anymore." Olivia looked to Alex for a moment.

"You left him?" This wasn't exactly the time for her to ask, but it'd just caught her off guard. That was the last thing she'd expected considering Alex's recent behavior. Michael looked up at Olivia, a grin extending across his face. That wasn't good.

"I knew you had something to do with it. I couldn't quite put my finger on what changed, but now I see. You have feelings for her. Oh, this is even better than I'd hoped!" A sinister laugh escaped his lips as Olivia shook her head.

"No, you're wrong." Olivia tried to deny it, but wasn't convincing enough.

"Olivia…" Alex started, but found herself choked a bit more by Michael's forearm, knife digging in a bit more.

"I don't think I am, _Olivia_. How else would you have gotten here so quickly? And alone. Face it. You're going the extra mile here, sweetheart, and it's because I've found your weakness. Admit it."

"You've got it all wrong, Jennings. She's a friend and a co-worker."

"Bullshit. Don't lie to me, Olivia. It's bad enough you stole my girlfriend away from me. Don't add insult to injury by lying to my face."

"Jennings, I'm not lying to y-"

"TELL ME THE TRUTH!" he shouted, face red with anger as his eyes flashed with rage, the knife pressing into Alex's throat until blood trickled down her neck, cutting through the skin just a bit more. Olivia froze, her heart stopping at the sight as he cut her neck enough to frighten her, but avoiding the carotid artery…for now. He calmed the moment he lost it, smiling once more.

"Tell me you love her or I'll do it. I'll fucking kill her right now, I swear to God." His arm tightened to cut further but Olivia held a hand up as if the surrender.

"Okay, okay. Just stop. I love her. Please, just stop," Olivia looked to Alex who was staring at her in shock at her admission of love. Olivia's eyes softened when they met her gaze and she whispered softly.

"I love you." Before Alex could say anything, Michael was pulling her up more, knife angled to hit that carotid artery next. Olivia placed both hands on her gun and pointed toward him once more, her expression hardening.

"Now isn't that sweet? Since we're all being honest here, I suppose it's my turn. I planned on killing her anyway." Olivia had to figure something out fast or Alex's life would slip through her own fingers.

"Michael. It doesn't have to be like this. You have a chance to do the right thing," she was stalling, hopefully by negotiating with him to put the knife down or, at the very least, get a good shot. At this angle, she'd only get one chance and that was one hell of a risk to take.

"Fuck you, Detective! You could have done the right thing and just left me the hell alone. Do you think Alex would be in this situation right now if it weren't for you? You have nobody to blame but yourself, you stupid dyke. And because of you, I'm going to have the chance to permanently destroy you. Because of you, the woman you love is going to die," he growled, his forearm lifting up to press that blade into Alex's neck to start his deep incision into her carotid artery. Taking a deep breath, Alex lowered her chin and allowed her teeth to sink into his arm to bite as hard as she possibly could.

"Bitch!" He shouted in pain, his arm pulling away out of initial reaction to the pain from the bite. He moved to bring his arm back up to cut her neck, but Olivia jumped at the opportunity. The ringing of the gunshot from her firearm echoed throughout the house. For a split second, her heart stopped. Would she ever have the chance to make things right with Alex? Would she ever be able to tell her that she loved her? The answer to that question remained in the lifeless eyes that stared back at her as Michael's body flung back against the wall and slowly slid down, blood streaking down the wall along with his dead body. One bullet entry remained in his forehead, the blood her own physical proof that she'd taken the shot and made the right choice.

Immediately, Alex fell forward, scrambling over into Olivia's arms. Her body trembled with fear, face buried against Olivia's shoulder while she cried. Olivia let the gun drop to the ground, along with herself as her knees gave out. The couple remained in each other's arms as they fell to the floor, shocked at what just occurred and so thankful that fate remained on their side for another day.

"I'm so sorry, Olivia. You were right…you were right," Alex cried against her shoulder, words muffled by her jacket. Olivia's hand came up to rest against the back of Alex's head, smoothing her hair while cradling her in a tight embrace. She never wanted to let her go. She closed her eyes and lowered her head to rest her forehead against the side of Alex's neck.

"Shh. It's okay, sweetheart. You're okay," she murmured softly, wanting to lose herself in this moment, but the sound of thudding boots against the hard wood floor would catch her attention along with a familiar voice.

"Liv? Alex?" Elliot called out as he came around into the living room, gun up in the same motion as Olivia did only a few minutes prior. Seeing them embracing one another on the floor near Michael's dead body, he lowered his gun and slipped it back into the holster attached to his hip.

"Alex, are you okay? Liv, let me take her. She needs a medic. I called for a bus on the way over," he added, his own concern mingling with authority in his voice as he reached out to wrap his arms around Alex to lift her up. Olivia didn't want to let go, but had no option. She needed medical attention. They would have to continue this afterwards. She was safe now. Everything was going to be okay. Elliot lifted Alex up into his arms and turned away to carry her out of the house toward the ambulance waiting outside. Olivia slowly stood up and went to follow, but Munch met her in the doorway. His hand reached up and touched her shoulder to stop her.

"I've got something I think you're going to be very interested in." That one sentence caught Olivia's attention, eyebrow arching as she looked at him.

"Really? What is it?" John held up a manila folder for Olivia to take. As she opened it, he started to explain.

"These are from Jennings' house. Turns out he has an accomplice."

"An accomplice?"

"Yep. Her name is Joyce Jennings. His wife. Look at the photos we found of her, though. I think you'll find that part the most interesting." The amount of sarcasm in his voice made Olivia roll her eyes just a little. What could possibly be more interesting than the fact that he had a wife at all? The folder opened and she looked down at the picture which caused her eyes to widen in surprise. John was right.

"That's Heather Crestman. Erin's nanny." Her shocked face lifted from the picture to look at John who stood there with that smug smile on his face.

"And if Michael didn't kill Allie…" he started, but Olivia finished for him.

"She did it to protect him. Munch, we've gotta find her before she finds out about Michael."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

**/Residence of Michael Jennings, Thursday evening, 7:15pm/**

Elliot and Olivia sat in the front seat of the black Crown Vic parked across the street from Michael's apartment while Munch and Fin staked out Joyce's apartment. They had nowhere to start but at the apartment. Surely, she would return home after her shift as someone else's new nanny. They sat quietly, Olivia in the passenger seat with her hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee while Elliot stared intently at the steps leading into the building. Neither one of them wanted to miss seeing her walk in the building. They had to time this just right if they were going to force a confession out of her. For now, all they could do was wait.

"How're things at home?" Olivia asked, making idle conversation while waiting and hoping to keep the topic of conversation focused on him. Elliot shrugged just a little and let out a long, draining sigh.

"Rough. I mean, Kathy and I are fine. It's just…I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong with Kathleen, y'know? One minute, I'm the greatest father in the world and the next, she hates me," he replied, a hand rubbing over his forehead just a little. Olivia smiled just a bit.

"She's a teenager, Elliot. Just give her some space. Every teenage girl loves and hates their father for a few years."

"You mean I gotta deal with this for a few years? Well, that's great. Thanks for the words of encouragement there, Liv," he teased with a smile just slightly tugging his thin lips upwards.

"Anytime, partner. You know I have to make sure you're uncomfortable at all times," Olivia grinned over the brim of her coffee cup, taking a sip in the midst of Elliot's chuckle.

"Yeah? What about you? Ever think you're going to make a move on Cabot? Or are you going to watch that opportunity pass you by?"

"I don't know what you're talki-"

"Really? After our conversation at O'Malley's the other night, you're still going to act like I don't know what's going on? Come on, Olivia. Give me a little respect here." He wasn't taking no for an answer, so with a sigh mingled with a growl, Olivia subsided.

"Michael forced me to tell Alex that I loved her in front of him."

"And do you?" That question made Olivia pause for a few seconds, not because she didn't know the answer, but she had to decide if she could say it out loud again.

"He was going to shoot her, Elliot. What choice did I have?"

"Just answer the question. Do you?"

"Yes." Elliot's eyebrows raised just a little, surprised that Olivia admitted to it so freely. Typically, that would have taken months to drag out of her. He only smiled a little and looked over at her for a second to show the sincerity in his eyes.

"I'm proud of you. I really am."

"Yeah, well. Don't get ahead of yourself. I don't know where it's going to lead us," she replied, stopping when her eyes fell on to the sidewalk across the street, the sights of Joyce walking briskly toward Michael's apartment building. Nodding toward her location, Olivia set her coffee down to reach for the door.

"El, there she is."

"Let's go get her." He was already out of the car as they headed across the street toward the woman. Elliot slipped up behind her in case she decided to run while Olivia stepped in front of her, hand up to stop the woman in her tracks. An arrogant and sarcastic smirk formed across Olivia's face as she slowed down to a stop. Joyce stopped and looked at Olivia with one of the fakest smiles she'd ever seen. How was it that she fell for her damsel in distress act the first time? Maybe Olivia was losing her touch. That thought alone only made her that more determined to bust the conniving bitch.

"Hello there, Detective," Joyce started with that flirtatious twinkle in her eyes, but Olivia wasn't in the mood for her games.

"Fancy running into you here, Joyce," Olivia spoke loudly, her tone dancing between amused and angry. It was the type of tone that showed happiness in catching her while anger for having to be in this situation to begin with. Joyce's eyes widened a little, her smile fading quickly.

"I…I don't know w-what you're talking about, Detective." _Oh, her demeanor changed so quickly. She'll be easy to break_, Olivia thought as she watched Elliot step up behind her and blocked her in.

"No more games, Mrs. Jennings. You're under arrest," Olivia replied, watching as Elliot grabbed the cuffs and started clipping them around her wrist. His voice held that authority as he spoke.

"Joyce Jennings, AKA Heather Crestman. You are under arrest for fraud. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" Elliot spoke those Miranda rights as though he stated his own name. It was second nature at this point, even as Joyce attempted to yell over him.

"This is a mistake! You have to understand! Detective Benson! Help me, please!" she shouted, panicking as she looked to Olivia to become her protector. Olivia only smiled while opening the door to the car to shove her inside.

"Save it, Jennings. Married women aren't my type."

**/SVU Precinct: Thursday evening, 10:33pm/**

"Come on, Joyce! There is no reason to cover for him. He was cheating on you! He didn't love you!" Olivia shouted while pacing throughout the interrogation room, arms folded across her chest the entire time. She'd been manipulating and interrogating the woman for three hours, breaking only for a half hour to let Elliot attempt to break her. Joyce only shook her head and fought back against their words.

"He loves me, Detective. I know he does and I want to see him! You can't keep me away from my husband!"

"Oh, really? Well, let me tell you about your hus-" she was cut off at the opening of the door, Captain Cragen poking his head inside.

"Olivia. A moment, please," he said before disappearing from sight, behind the mirrored wall where he couldn't be seen. A long sigh escaped her lips and Olivia let her dark eyes fall to Joyce's face for a moment before she stormed out, slamming the door shut. The moment the door closed, Olivia's demeanor changed from furious to calm instantaneously. She hadn't been angry at all; instead, she was merely using an interrogation tactic to try and intimidate Joyce.

"What's up, Cap?" she stopped in her tracks when she saw Alex standing there with him. Her face bruised, but her stance more confident than ever. Alex stood there, arms folded across her chest as though nothing happened only six hours ago. Turning toward a very surprised Olivia, Alex gave her a small smile. Her blue eyes softened for only a second when taking in the sight of the woman she loved.

"Looks like you could use a little help in there," Alex started, smiling inwardly at Olivia shifting on one foot to the other, her subtle hint of agitation from the comment.

"Interrogation takes time, Alex. You know that."

"You can't let her know that Michael is dead," Cragen interrupted, his hands sliding into the pockets of his pants comfortably in his signature stance.

"Why not?"

"If Joyce knows that Michael is dead, she can simply claim he killed both Erin and Allie. Michael only confessed to killing one of them. If we can shake her trust in Michael before she knows he's dead, then we might be able to get her to confess on Allie's murder," Alex explained, watching as Olivia nodded a little.

"Okay. So what do we do, Alex?"

"Let me talk to her. She hasn't lawyered up yet because she doesn't know that she's in serious trouble. Right now, she's looking at a misdemeanor fraud case that will probably get tossed out of court. I dated the man. I might be able to shake her trust more than you could." Olivia clenched her jaw just a little and nodded, stepping aside to let Alex walk past and into the interrogation room. As soon as Alex pushed open that door, Olivia stepped to the glass window beside Cragen, watching in silence. She had a bad feeling about this, but Alex was right. This was the only way.

"Good evening, Joyce," Alex's voice was cold, closing the door behind her with a hand gripping tightly to the manila folder that held the evidence. Joyce's eyes lifted to see Alex there and her expression changed. It was difficult to read whether she was happy to see Alex beat to hell or jealous to come in contact with the woman her husband had been dating.

"Nice shiner." Joyce laughed little, already feeling superior to the woman standing before her.

"Well, thank you. I didn't realize your husband liked it so rough," Alex replied, causing the laughter to stop immediately. With a smile, Alex continued.

"We know that your husband killed Erin McCaffe, Joyce. He confessed to it. The odd thing is that he didn't confess to killing Allie Floyd." Joyce looked away, so Alex moved to take a seat on the table, hands on her lap.

"Furthermore, the kills aren't the same and your husband has an alibi." She was met with more silence. Alex leaned in with a cocky grin on her face.

"Me, Mrs. Jennings. I am your husband's alibi." Joyce finally snapped her face up to Alex's face to stare down those blue eyes.

"That's all you were good for. Don't you see? He _wanted_ you to alibi him. He _used_ you to keep him safe. He never planned on sleeping with you or having a relationship with you! He was _using_ you, you stupid bitch!" Alex only laughed. Neither of them had the vocabulary to come up with a better insult? The lack of imagination was more insulting to her, but this was Alex's opportunity to break that trust.

"Is that what he was telling you, Joyce? That we weren't sleeping together? That he just wanted to use me as a cover? I can guarantee you that there was no reason for him to crawl into my bed every evening after school if he was just using me as a cover."

"…You're lying. He wouldn't do that." Her voice waivered and that's when Alex knew she'd infiltrated the woman's emotions.

"Would he not? So when he told me that my hair felt like golden silk and that I remind him of his dead wife, only with better tits, that was just using me to keep him from getting arrested, right? Just this time yesterday, he left my apartment after hours of phenomenal sex, Joyce. Face it. He got tired of you and had to rape little girls because you simply weren't enough. He had to convince you that he was just using me because he didn't want you to know that you weren't good enough. Really, he just wanted to be with me and couldn't handle telling you." Was any of this true? Absolutely not, but Alex was an amazing liar. To interrogate and negotiate, you had to be able to bluff with the best of them. So far, it was working.

"That bastard!" Joyce sobbed and covered her face with her hands. Before Alex could say anything else, one of Joyce's hands came forward to point a finger in Alex's face.

"He had me kill Allie to cover his ass just so that he could screw around with you! You were his alibi while I did his killing! This is his fault! I'm going to kill him!" she shouted, Alex's eyes widening at the confession. Both women looked shocked that the words came out of her mouth. Immediately, Alex stood up from the table and let her cold eyes fall onto the woman in front of her.

"No you're not, Joyce. Michael Jennings is already dead. I'd suggest you get yourself an attorney now." Alex pulled open the door and slammed it closed behind her the moment those sentences fell from her mouth, ignoring the wails and cries that echoed against the concrete walls.

"Good work, Alex. I'll have the confession drafted up," Cragen said, walking up to her alone. Olivia was nowhere in sight.

"Where did Liv go?"

"She rushed out of here a couple of minutes ago," he answered quietly, though there was a confused look on his face. Alex immediately started to run out to find her.

"Alex, is everything okay?" He called out, but Alex didn't have time to explain. She had to find Olivia. Her eyes fell to Elliot seated at his desk.

"Elliot, where did Olivia go?"

"She ran out a second ago. Tried to stop her but she said she had to go. Did you upset her?" there was his defensive tone as he started to get up out of his chair. She held up a hand as if to stop him.

"I just have to find her. I'll explain later." She rushed off before anyone could respond, hands slamming into the door that opened to the stairs. Her heels clicked on the concrete floors quickly, running down the stairs to make her way outside before Olivia had the chance to leave. _Please, let me catch her before she leaves_, Alex thought as she hit the bottom of the stairs. The booming of the door left her out on the sidewalk to see Olivia standing near her car, fumbling with her keys.

"Olivia, wait!" she shouted, running toward her to stop her. Her hand hit the side of the car as she stepped between Olivia and the driver side door on the street curb.

"What, Alex? What am I waiting for?! To listen to the continuation of your sex life with Michael Jennings?!" she shouted, her face red with anger.

"Liv, I didn't sl-" Olivia didn't give her the chance to finish her sentence before she continued to go off on her.

"Is that why you demanded to interrogate her?! So you could gloat about how much better you are than her?! That you could please her husband better?! I'll tell you what that does, Alex. It makes you look like a home-wrecking whore." It wasn't logical, but Olivia was angry and hurt at the thought of Alex sleeping with Michael after they shared that kiss. It hurt beyond any comprehension to know that she crawled into bed with him right afterwards. The hurt in her heart matched the pain on Alex's face. Alex never thought the most painful insult of the day would come from the one she loved more than anything.

"That's not fair," Alex replied, not knowing what to say while processing the pain.

"No, you know what's not fair, Alex? The fact that we kissed and you avoided me. And now I know why. The only reason you're not with Michael now is because I was right and he turned out to be a serial child rapist and murderer. _That_ is unfair. Now get out of my way. I'm done." Alex reached up to place her hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"I didn't sleep with him, Olivia! I swear I didn't!" she was begging inside and out for Olivia to believe her, but those brown eyes that were typically filled with compassion only showed pain and coldness.

"You expect me to believe that, Alex?"

"Yes, I do. You told me you loved me. People who love each other trust each other," she answered, gripping Olivia's jacket sleeve while staring into those hardened eyes. Olivia parted her lips to speak, words cold as they came out before she had the chance to take them back.

"Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart. I only said it to save your life." Alex never thought that so few sentences would break her heart, but Olivia managed to succeed. Tears started forming in her eyes, dropping onto her bruised face and she shook her head.

"I don't believe you. I know you love me." Her lips parted to speak when the sound of her radio interrupted with the sound of a static connection.

"_We have a dead body found outside of the Salvation Army found on 53rd Street. Requesting Manhattan SVU detectives and medical examiner on site immediately."_ Olivia brought the radio up to her mouth.

"This is Detective Benson. I'm on my way." Dropping the radio back onto her belt, she looked to Alex for a moment longer before responding.

"Look, Alex. It's my job to save people, so I did what I had to save you. So fine, don't believe me...but get out of my way. I need to go save more people," Olivia said venomously, trying to push past her.

"Tell me you don't love me and I will," Alex charged, demanding to hear the four words that could change their relationship forever. Olivia stared at her for the longest time, jaw clenched. It would tear her heart from her chest to say those words.

"I can't do this right now. I have work to do," she growled and stormed to the other side of the car, climbing into the passenger seat only to move into the driver's seat and turn the engine on. This time, Alex didn't stop her. She only watched the red tail lights of Olivia's car drive off into the distance, leaving her there with her arms wrapped around her own waist. A smile tugged on Alex's lips.

She couldn't say it. Despite all of the other harsh words Olivia threw at her, Alex felt hope building inside of her. In the midst of the city noise, she whispered a promise to herself…one that she would follow through until the end.

"I won't give up on you, Olivia."

**[END OF CASE]**

**(This is not the end of this story. A new case will be started to continue the overall story. I'm going to continue to write this story and string future cases throughout. Hope you've enjoyed the first case! Let me know what you think! )**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"_Hi, you've reached Olivia. Sorry I'm not in right now, but if you'll leave your name, number and a brief message, I'll return your call as soon as possible."_ Olivia's home phone answering machine answered for the fifth time that evening. Where could she be? Olivia had to be home. At the sound of the beep, Alex spoke into the receiver…again.

"Olivia, it's Alex. Please pick up the phone. I know you're there." There was a long sigh before she continued. "Olivia, I need to see you. There's so many things that I have to tell you. I can't do it over your voicemail, so please call me back. I…um…hope to hear from you soon." Alex wanted so badly to tell her that she loved her over the phone, but that wasn't how she wanted Olivia to hear it for the first time. She hung the phone up and immediately tossed her cell onto the coffee table before sliding her hands into her hair. What a fucking mess. Why wasn't she answering either of her phones? She'd called her five times in the past five hours. Yes, on the hour every hour. What if Olivia was out with another woman? The thought of her at dinner with someone else made Alex want to rip her own hair out. No, she wouldn't do that. Olivia loved her. Sure, she was angry at her, but they loved each other. This would work out…if only she could get the mental images out of her head. Where was she?

Olivia sat on her own couch, glass of bourbon in hand as she watched the answering machine on the table across the living room. A small sigh escaped her lips when the phone finally hung up. What the hell was wrong with her? How many times had she said what she needed to say in order to pull a confession out of someone? More times than she can count. Alex told her that she'd never slept with Michael. What if she was being honest? There had never been a time that Alex was purposefully dishonest with her, even if it hurt. They butted heads and argued, but Alex hadn't ever lied to her. That was part of what she loved about Alex so much. On top of all of that, there was a pain in Alex's eyes when Olivia hadn't believed her that she couldn't have made.

Silence dominated the entire apartment with the exception of the sipping of her drink, dark amber liquid sliding down her throat and leaving a burning trail the entire way down. The swallowing of the bourbon caused her to close her eyes, secretly wishing that the alcohol could make everything better. It was a sobering moment considering how easy it was for her own mother to wish and hope for the same thing. Immediately, Olivia's eyes opened and she placed the glass on the table, pushing it away from her.

"No, I won't be like you," she growled the words to herself and pushed herself up from the couch. Boots hit the hard wooded floors as she made her way over to the window, arms wrapping around herself as if for comfort. There were so many times that she put herself in situations with women that only disappointed her. What made Alex different? That question only had one answer and it rested in the pleading eyes of a hurting woman begging for the opportunity to explain herself. Olivia didn't give her the chance to explain because she was overwhelmed by jealousy. It had nothing to do with Alex lying to her and everything to do with the fact that Olivia could not emotionally handle the idea of Alex being with anybody else. How was she going to continue to work with Alex knowing that she had such a hold on her? There was only one option. She had to talk to her. Somehow, they had to work it all out.

The epiphany came right as the ringing of her cell phone started, buzzing vibrating against the wooden coffee table until she picked up the phone to see who was calling her. This time, it was Elliot. Flipping the phone open, she brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey, El. What's up?"

"Olivia, we got a call. A woman was raped outside of her office building on the corner of West 115th and Frederick Douglas Boulevard. I'm en route now." Despite the need for a quiet night, she actually welcomed the distraction.

"I'm on my way," she said softly before hanging up the phone and turning onto the ball of her foot to head toward the door. At that moment, she lowered her eyes to the glass of bourbon on the table, hardly touched despite the one sip she had. Her mother was consumed by alcohol. It completely molded her mother's life and became the only thing her mother could ever truly love. Looking from the glass of bourbon to the table where her badge and gun waited for her, she had to wonder…were they really all that different? The only difference here was their drug of choice. Could Olivia truly love anything as much or more than her job? She honestly didn't know, but she wasn't going to make her mother's mistake. Olivia wasn't going to let Alex slip through her fingers without a single attempt at making it work.

_I'll talk to her first thing tomorrow_, Olivia thought to herself as she reached for that gun and badge, holstering them in place before making her way to the door. Somehow, in the midst of her crazy job, she was going to figure things out with Alex the first opportunity that she had. The darkness took over Olivia's apartment as she turned the light off and closed the door behind her, prepared to start another chapter of her hectic life in sex crimes.


End file.
